Running, Pacing, & Learning to Crawl is Falling Stars' second album, recorded in the same local professional studio they made their first album (Majestic Tranquility) in, only this time they had more material, more time, and a bit bigger of a budget. You can hear the musical growth a year makes. This album, both musical genre-wise and topic-wise, is everywhere and in between. The album title (which the band demonstrates on the cover quite humorously approaching a lake) reminds us not to rush life away; take the time to learn how to crawl. Track 1: Intro is a silly skit. It was actually recorded last, which kinda goes along with the theme of the album title about doing things backwards. It was right before Thanksgiving so.... this just kind of came about. Mikey is known for his turkey calls. Goofy stuff. Track 2: Sugar Daddy is a fun little story about getting hit on at a diner and being asked to dance. The song was the band's effort to make a swing feel song as 2 of the band members are jazz musicians (Caryn Feder and Rup Chattopadhyay). The song has a cool walking bass line and features Mikey Sodomora on lead vocals (not Caryn) until the end, in which Rup gives a grand finale. It ain't over till the fat Indian sings. Track 3: Synthetic Boyfriend has a 6/8, sway-back-and-forth oldie feel during the verses and then whacks you on the head with a strong solid 4 beat-to-a-bar driving rock and roll chorus. It deals with being in a relationship with a phony; "I went out with a synthetic boyfriend, so much for a good friend..." Track 4: Beneath The Veil is a special track to Caryn because her mother wrote the lyrics. It features a special effect on Caryn's guitar pedal in the beginning that blends with the guitar tone and sounds like rain falling. It's about a woman who has been persecuted in a relationship rising up and trying to find answers and peace. It features a guitar solo at the end that just wails and screams out emotion. The song has a heavy, middle-eastern vibe to it and features sax and clarinet (oddly enough). Track 5: Could is a love song that is gentle and has some really fine guitar work chord-wise in it. It expresses the feeling of missing and needing someone; "Could if be love? Could it be everything? Could it be the thought of you... that makes my heart sing?" Track 6: Internal War is about feeling conflicted. As the chorus croons, "You and me/ Why can't it be/ Everything I wanted and so much more?/ I'm left behind/ I can't unwind/ While I'm entangled in my own stupid internal war." There's a magical moment where the harmonica and guitar (both recorded by Caryn) solo and blend together, almost symbolically. Track 7: Slip is a fan fave, the band played it on most of their shows after the album was released. Caryn wrote the lyrics after a break up on the back of an envelope while she went out for a walk to collect her thoughts. The chorus explains what she was going through; "Let it slip/ can't get a grip on this/ I need you to be there/ it's falling through my fingers/ give a kiss I'll let it linger/ I need you to tell me... you care." Track 8: The Story Untold is about all the secrets and the stuff going through your head that you wish you could tell your special someone, or you wish that they already knew. "I bet you didn't know that I still think about you every-so-often/ that it makes my heart bleed..." Track 9: Duck is about a friendship turned relationship that goes down hill. The song is fast and has some vocal echo/reverb effects that make it sound like what the song is about; running around in circles in your head trying your best to make sense of things. As part of the chorus states, "Loosing my best friend/ it's just my luck/ Duck/ I wish that I could kiss you one last time/ Duck/ I know that everything would be just fine." Track 10: Half Your Age is a funny hip hop rap that is about someone being chased around town by an old man trying to hit on them that is double their age, probably more. He's trying to lure her in with promises of luxury and riches. Silly as it seems, the girl doesn't stop running until the guy offers to buy her some Dunkin' Donuts. Gotta love the funny sound effects too!